Lawmakers mourn death of Sen. Bentsen

Capitol Hill is mourning the loss of a moderate Democrat known for his bipartisanship after beloved former Texas senator and Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen died yesterday.

Bentsen, 85, passed away in the morning at his Houston home from natural causes. He had been in poor health since 1998 after suffering two strokes.

Bentsen represented the Lone Star State for 28 years, serving in the House from 1948 to 1955 and in the Senate from 1971 to 1993. He was also former President Clinton’s first treasury secretary from 1993 to 1994. He was known as a courtly, dispassionate negotiator and tended to be a pro-business Democrat.

After retiring from the House, he ran a financial holding company before he decided to resume his political career in 1970 with a run for the Senate. He defeated George H.W. Bush, who had been a member of the House. Bentsen went on to hold several prominent positions in the upper chamber as chairman of the Finance Committee, chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He resigned in 1993.